You folks in CA have some really weird rules...
I actually have a copy of my original birth certificate, locked up in a strongbox along with other important papers. It's not a certified copy, it's just a photocopy of the original. It was all I needed to get a passport years ago.
I was born in NY, and at some point, NY started issuing birth certificates that look nothing like the one I have, but if I were to ask the state for a copy of my birth certificate, I would get the new version which I believe is just labeled "Certificate of Birth". And my Social Security card, kept in the same strongbox, is the one I got when I was about 12, with a 12-year-old's signature on it. Other than getting a passport, I can't remember the last time I had to use either of them for anything.
When I moved here to TX seven years ago, all I needed to get a TX D/L was my NY D/L - they took it away from me, issued me a new TX D/L on the spot, and said they would notify NY that the old one was no longer valid. The only additional documentation that was required was something showing that I had a TX mailing address. I didn't even have an apartment at that point - I was staying with my brother while I looked for a place to live but had made address changes on my credit cards. A copy of one statement with the new mailing address was enough.
Last year I had to renew my D/L, which I did online. When the new license came in the mail. it had a star on it that indicated it was Real ID compliant. I didn't have to do anything special or supply any other documentation to get that - whatever they needed was already in their system. As far as I know, any legal TX resident without a Real ID compliant D/L can just go to a local DMV office and get a new one. They already have everything they need to know about you in their database; unless there's a problem, there's no need for additional documentation. |
